ENZO Maresca wasn’t ready to entertain talk of Chelsea being Premier League title challengers. According to the Italian, the Blues are “not ready” to finish top of the table this season despite currently sitting joint on points with Arsenal. Sunday’s convincing win over Aston Villa also moved Chelsea two points ahead of Manchester City.

Maresca is probably right. Chelsea are one of the youngest teams in the Premier League with not a single player over the age of 30 in their squad. They lack experience and are still settling after a chaotic summer which saw no fewer than 11 new signings arrive and seven players leave on permanent deals.

Many expected a chaotic season to follow a chaotic summer, but Maresca has put in place a structure and approach that has been a good fit for his squad. Indeed, Chelsea aren’t just recording positive results – they are playing a brand of modern, dynamic football that is increasingly easy on the eye.

Nicolas Jackson is growing into one of the best centre forwards in the Premier League after an inconsistent first season at Stamford Bridge. The Senegalese striker scored his eighth league goal of the season in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Villa and has improved all areas of his game under Maresca.

Cole Palmer remains Chelsea’s most reliable difference-maker and Maresca has done more to harness the England international in a central role where he has the freedom to drift after deploying him on the wing earlier in the season. The Blues boss quickly learned that Palmer is the creative heart of his team. He has to play in the middle.

 

A big part of Chelsea’s recent improvement has been the midfield and the growing understanding between the players in the centre of the pitch. Moise Caicedo and Romeo Lavia in particular have forged a strong partnership and have given Chelsea the two-way ability they needed to make Maresca-ball work.

Even Enzo Fernandez has found some form recently, registering a goal contribution in each of his last three Premier League outings. The World Cup winner still has a long way to go to vindicate the £106m fee Chelsea paid for him last year, but his recent performances have made clear how he fits into Maresca’s side.

At the back, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have given Chelsea a solid defensive foundation to build on. Maresca has chopped and changed between players in the full back positions, but between Reece James, Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella he has a variety of good options to choose from.

Robert Sanchez is seen by some as a weak link in the Chelsea lineup, but the Spanish goalkeeper is key to the way Maresca wants his team to play out from the back. He is in the team to do much more than just make saves and catch crosses. The Chelsea manager has a plan and Sanchez is helping him execute it.

 

“I think we are not ready to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and City for many reasons,” said Maresca after beating Aston Villa, quelling talk of a title challenge. “Because we win today, I am not going to change my [opinion], we are not ready for that. But the good thing is that we are improving and hopefully very soon we can be there.”

Indeed, Chelsea are finally heading in the right direction after years of chaos. Maresca and his players are proving their doubters, of which there were plenty at the start of the season, wrong. A Premier League title challenge might be beyond them right now, but the Blues could have silverware in their future. 

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